Darren Horne Consultancyhttps://darrenhorne.com
Level Up Your BusinessMon, 30 Apr 2018 23:24:37 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.6Did “The Beast From The East” Test Your Leadership Skills?https://darrenhorne.com/did-the-beast-from-the-east-test-your-leadership-skills/
https://darrenhorne.com/did-the-beast-from-the-east-test-your-leadership-skills/#respondSun, 04 Mar 2018 20:59:30 +0000http://darrenhorne.com/?p=858Last week heavy snows and strong winds battered the UK, as The Beast From The East teamed up with Storm Emma to test our leadership qualities. In recent years I have become a bit of a leadership junkie. As a media specialist working in education I am very aware that if you communicate you have […]

In recent years I have become a bit of a leadership junkie. As a media specialist working in education I am very aware that if you communicate you have influence, and if you have influence, you are by default, a leader.

So the question becomes, how do you want to lead?

One of the struggles of leadership is sometimes the terrain changes. This is ever more likely with technological and social advances. You may be a great manager in times of ease. Most people are. But what happens when things are not perfect?

This reminds me of the film The Godfather. When Michael was preparing to battle the other families, he replaced his step-brother as his trusted advisor:

“You’re not a wartime Consigliere, Tom. Things could get rough with the move we’re making.”

Good leaders make sure they have the right people in place, for the right job, at the right time.

Sadly too many peacetime “leaders” procrastinate, and fear making a decision that might be criticised when things get rough.

This week the UK was hit by a significant amount of snow, and we are not really used to it, or prepared. I live in Cumbria (Northern England) and for three days many schools, and some businesses, closed. The police said to only drive if absolutely necessary, because it was too dangerous.

So why would you then risk your life to drive to work or school?

The organisation you work for does not have a clear policy on staff absence.

This is particularly true for hourly paid staff. So if you cannot physically get in to work, and are advised by several authorities to not even chance it, will you get paid anyway? Many people are close to the poverty line, that one day’s missed wages will cause massive disruption and stress.

My social media was lit up with people taking photos of the weather, and saying how worried they were about making the journey. But they were going anyway. Because they needed that money.

Communications were poor and you were not kept informed.

A good leader should either have a plan in place for the predicted storm and snow, or act fast when the situation deteriorates.

Cy Wakeman, of Reality Based Leadership, spoke of a lesson her boss taught her in the early days of her career.

And the weather brought an imperfect reality. I heard of examples of passive aggressive bullying by managers, to out-and-out threats. What they should have done is called all employees as early as possible, and told them to stay home and stay safe, and they would be paid anyway. The children are off school, elderly relatives need to be checked on, and they obviously have other priorities right now.

“Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first”

But instead I am hearing stories of how people hate their boss, and the company they work for. This is a bad return on investment. Especially if they leave and you need to advertise, recruit, and train someone new.

Educational institutions, on the whole, acted swiftly. But not all. This is even more scary.

As a school, college, or university, you should care about the students as a priority. The parents have taken something incredibly precious to them, and trusted you to educate them, but also to keep them safe from harm. Gary Vaynerchuk believes in this duty of care so much for his employees, he even created a post for Chief Heart Officer, the second most important role in his company:

“Caring about your employees doesn’t just mean providing them with health benefits or 401(k) plans. When I say “I care about my employees,” I really mean it. I’m passionate about knowing each and every one of them as individuals.”

“Every single employee is someone’s son or someone’s daughter. Like a parent, a leader of a company is responsible for their precious lives”.

But sadly, the message that some places were closing took its time to get out there. Which is dangerous, and negligent for the following reasons:

In Cumbria students can travel long distances.

They might get a train at 7.20am. As a leader, you do not get to wait until you go in to work at 8am, to make a decision. This is wartime. You knew it was coming, you should be ready. A 16 year old heads off to college on the train, the parents head off to work thinking their child is safe, the teen gets off the train, walks to college, realises it has been closed, walks back to the train station, waits, maybe up to an hour for the next one, and heads home to an empty house. In terrible weather. What could go wrong?

Teenagers are inexperienced drivers.

This is a big one. Many that are in further education are driving to school or college, because they don’t want to fall behind, they don’t want to get in trouble, and they think the school/college is open.

These are new drivers! About to try and drive in hazardous conditions.

These are our children. And there is often no clear directive about whether they should try and get in to study. They are not listening to local radio, or necessarily following the Facebook page of their school or college.

Especially, or hopefully, not when they are driving.

Thankfully most educational institutions closed pretty fast. But one did not close until 10.20am. Which basically means they waited to see how many people would turn up. The decision was made for them.

Your teachers need all the help they can get.

This is something that is often overlooked. But most teachers care deeply for the students they educate, and over 50% now have mental health issues.

The work is still there. A day off can be stressful. They have work to do. It’s already too much to handle, they have to get in. So a lack of clarity as to if their work place is open, and if they will get paid, is unacceptable.

Who rose to the challenge?

But I heard amazing stories too. Owners of companies that had 4X4s sent them out to help the community, hotels offered a free extra night’s stay and food if their customers were stranded, NHS staff slept in hospitals overnight to make sure they were there for their patients in the morning.

Ordinary citizens worked together to clear roads to hospitals, collect prescriptions, and food supplies for those we could not venture out.

There were those that rose to the challenge.

We are all leaders, and need to be ready to step up and take responsibility when peace time is shattered, and we need to go to battle.

This could be family illness, debt, a power cut, tight deadlines, the list of struggles are endless.

And when times are tough, some leaders will lean in to the challenge and work for the good of their community, or tribe, others will hide and hope others fix the problem.

]]>https://darrenhorne.com/did-the-beast-from-the-east-test-your-leadership-skills/feed/0Leaders, Are You 100% Human? https://darrenhorne.com/leaders-are-you-100-human/
https://darrenhorne.com/leaders-are-you-100-human/#respondSun, 17 Dec 2017 22:44:18 +0000http://darrenhorne.com/?p=696Did you know some people now identify as an animal? The world is moving fast, and leaders need to adapt. As an educator, I have seen a lot of changes in the last ten years, one of which is how comfortable my students are becoming at expressing their sexuality, and being open about being transgender. […]

As an educator, I have seen a lot of changes in the last ten years, one of which is how comfortable my students are becoming at expressing their sexuality, and being open about being transgender. In the last few years this has become commonplace, and last year in a student body of 60 or so students, we had four who were openly transgender.

This can be on a spiritual or a psychological level and can be a form of species dysmorphia, in that you do not feel your body matches your species.

As leaders we need to have an open mind. Humans have certainly had a fascination with animals since storytelling began. In many cultures we see lycanthropy and shapeshifters. Gods across the pantheons had the ability to become animals, or have animal like features.

Some Therions have supernumerary phantom limbs where the individuals believe they:

I grew up in the 1980’s and remember watching cartoons such as Visionaries,Bravestarr, and Thundercats, where the line between human and animal is blurred. This is a common occurrence in western culture. Snapchat filters allow us to look like cats, dogs, and rabbits. Playboy bunnies and feline outfits have become highly sexualised. Often men will get tattoos of tigers and wolves to represent their nature.

We talk about hibernating, huddling under blankets like a dormouse to enjoy an evening of Netflix and hot chocolates. We refer to ourselves as “cat people”, or “dog people”.

We have an overwhelming fascination with animals, and when you remember that the idea of Therions really does not seem that far-fetched.

I have barely touched on the subject in this article, and would not say I was well-informed at this point. But I am curious and open to the idea. Sure, some will say this is a mental health issue. Maybe it is.

But what if it is real?

And what is the harm?

We certainly describe people as looking or acting like wolves, hawks, rodents, cows, sheep, and more. I have called my two year old daughter “monkey” probably more than any other word. Will this cause confusion for her?

So if someone identifies as a wolf, maybe even wants to wear fangs, how is that an issue for me?

The world is changing fast and I love it.

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy — Shakespeare

You can scream about snowflakes, and wish everyone was like you, or things were how they used to be. But parents, educators, and leaders need to be more open-minded. How can you lead anyone, if you do not accept them for who they truly are?

As President Kennedy wrote:

“Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are sure to miss the future.”

]]>https://darrenhorne.com/leaders-are-you-100-human/feed/0What Does My Vasectomy Have To Do With Leadership?https://darrenhorne.com/what-does-my-vasectomy-have-to-do-with-leadership/
https://darrenhorne.com/what-does-my-vasectomy-have-to-do-with-leadership/#respondSun, 17 Dec 2017 22:03:39 +0000http://darrenhorne.com/?p=69150 million men worldwide have had a vasectomy — what lessons can we learn from them and how can they be linked to leadership styles? Since becoming a parent in January 2016, I have become a bit of a leadership junkie. Never before have I realised how influential what I say and do can be. Sure, I […]

]]>50 million men worldwide have had a vasectomy — what lessons can we learn from them and how can they be linked to leadership styles?

Since becoming a parent in January 2016, I have become a bit of a leadership junkie. Never before have I realised how influential what I say and do can be. Sure, I am an educator, I have held a variety of management positions, and I am now also a writer. But the stakes are higher when the person you lead is your daughter.

She is watching how I treat her mother, how I manage my emotions, how I put on my shoes, and repeating what I say and how I say it.

What’s frustrating is I have always been a leader, we all are, but I was not doing it with intent. If you communicate with anyone in any way, you have influence. If you have influence, you are by default a leader.

This brings us to the vasectomy.

So what are the leadership lessons we can learn from a procedure that may cause your scrotum (ball sack) to become bruised, swollen, and/or painful, with some men having ongoing pain in their testicles for the rest of their lives?

1: Full Monty Leadership

Dov Baron, leadership consultant, believes leaders are like the heroes from the stories we see in books and on screen. As heroes we refuse the call to adventure, because it’s scary or uncomfortable. I was not immediately keen on the vasectomy. But you seek out mentors who can guide you, and allies to help you on your journey. It is also a realisation that vulnerability is a strength, and it’s okay to talk about your fears and weaknesses.

I was scared about the vasectomy. There are articles online that have horror stories of blood, and swelling of grapefruit sized proportions. I nearly cancelled it. But I didn’t, I went through with it anyway, and I am sharing my story. Leadership is about vulnerability, and is their any time we feel more vulnerable than during a vasectomy?

2: Gutsy Leadership

There can be a tendency to hedge our bets or play it safe. We like staying in our comfort zone and we fear change. This is why Kodak stuck with film rather than going all in on digital.

Of course as America’s first African-American female combat pilot, she is talking about warfare. But I am talking about a needle and my scrotum. Which takes more guts?

Sometimes the solution takes courage, and gutsy leaders can act on that.

3: Intent Based Leadership

Captain David Marquet believes there are leaders at every level, and when you give your team more authority, you actually create better leaders. In particular it is creating an environment where people feel proud of being part of something bigger than themselves, and contribute to the accomplishments of their organization’s goals.

Men are often absent from the contraception discussion. Sure, I have used a condom, one of the least effective contraceptive forms, but I have always expected my partner to eventually take responsibility by going on the pill, getting an implant, cap, sponge, or patch. Many of which have had horrible side effects.

But now I am part of not only the conversation, but the solution. And a solution that has a very high success rate. Of course there are consequences. We are moving forward as though it is not reversible, and we are happy with that. We adore our daughter, and our love for her has spilled out around the world, and it hurts when we hear about young children in pain, through neglect or abuse. So adoption is very much on the cards.

But I am taking responsibility for family planning, and it’s scary, and hurts, a lot. It may well be the most heroic thing I have ever done!

No doubt my wonderful wife will show her leadership skills as she sympathises and gives me comfort, and by never mentioning the pain of child birth.

]]>https://darrenhorne.com/what-does-my-vasectomy-have-to-do-with-leadership/feed/0Why Leaders Should Share Their Vulnerabilitieshttps://darrenhorne.com/heroes-have-scars/
https://darrenhorne.com/heroes-have-scars/#respondSun, 03 Dec 2017 21:37:03 +0000http://darrenhorne.com/?p=687There seems to be a myth that we all have to wear masks and have our shields raised at all times. We are not supposed to share our losses, our weaknesses, or our failures. This is causing pain. The two things that have hurt me the most in life are post natal depression, and a […]

]]>There seems to be a myth that we all have to wear masks and have our shields raised at all times. We are not supposed to share our losses, our weaknesses, or our failures.

This is causing pain.

The two things that have hurt me the most in life are post natal depression, and a miscarriage. Both of which are very common, but were in no way on my radar. I was caught by surprise and overwhelmed. Until I experienced them myself, I had no idea just how common they are.

Because people don’t talk.

This is contributing to the mental health epidemic, low self esteem, and also less opportunities to connect with people on a deeper level.

What are you afraid of sharing?

In Matt Haig’s book How To Stop Time, this quote was one of many that stood out to me.

“You are not the only one with sorrows in this world. Don’t hoard them like they are precious. There is always plenty of them to go around.”

Think about the friends you have that you care about the most, they know your darkest secrets right? The people whose shoulders you cried on? The late nights drinking wine and ranting about life? You know their scars, and they know yours. The heroes we love the most, are those with a weakness.

We love Indiana Jones because he is afraid of snakes.

Chief Brody because he is afraid of the water.

The first Die Hard is the best because John McClane cries in a toilet, thinks he is going to die, and wants his wife to know he loves her.

Practically perfect people do not inspire us. We cannot relate or connect.

]]>https://darrenhorne.com/heroes-have-scars/feed/0What Leaders Can Learn From Bears and Elephantshttps://darrenhorne.com/depressed-bears-and-leadership/
https://darrenhorne.com/depressed-bears-and-leadership/#respondWed, 15 Nov 2017 21:15:35 +0000http://darrenhorne.com/?p=657As any good social media specialist knows, you document what you are doing, rather than trying to come up with something new and original every time. ⏳ What I am doing, is reading Matt Haig’s “How To Stop Time” ⏳ Matt is a great writer, with immense experience of both anxiety and depression. It feels […]

Matt is a great writer, with immense experience of both anxiety and depression. It feels like on every page a new quote stands out to me.

Recently it was this one.

“I walked past bear garden – called the Paris Garden for some reason I never knew – and saw a giant black-furred bear in chains. It looked like the saddest creature I had ever seen.

Wounded and unkempt and resigned to his fate, sitting on the ground. The bear was a celebrity. A major draw of Bankside. “Sackerson” they called him. And there would be many times I would see or hear him in action over the coming weeks and months, pink-eyed, clawing dogs from his throat, his mouth frothing with rage, as the crowd roared in cruel and fevered excitement.

It was the only time. the bear ever seemed alive, when it was fighting off death, And I would often think of that bear, and that pointless will to survive, through whatever cruelty, and pain life chose to throw in his direction”.

Sackerson has the right idea. Keep going. Keep fighting. Every day. Through whatever cruelty and pain life throws at you. You can do this.

When I got married my speech consisted of five images. Triggers for stories I wanted to tell.

One was of an elephant

And I told the story of how circus elephants are tied up by chains to start with. And the elephant cries, and pulls, and tries to get away. But can’t.

It’s a chain after all.

And it gives up.

So then the chain is replaced with a thin rope. But their view of the world is that they can’t break the chain. They have lost hope.

So they never try. The tourists think, “well if the elephant wanted to escape, it could, it’s just a thin rope”.

Why am I telling stories of bears and elephants?

It comes down to leadership. Both internal and external.

You can endure far more than you think. Watching my wife give birth certainly made me realise this. But also reading Viktor Frankl’s “Mans Search For Meaning”.

He was in a concentration camp, and realised he could survive on a piece of bread a day, or sleeping three people side by side on the wooden slats of a single bed.

You should test your boundaries. Regularly. Maybe the chain isn’t a chain anymore. Maybe today you can achieve that goal.

Perhaps you now have the strength, skills, knowledge, connections, to crush it!